Plastic Bonsai Posted April 28, 2010 Share Posted April 28, 2010 (edited) OK so I have a Falklands Set - it was a Xmas pressie from my brother. Ever since Tim Dix pointed out that it had paints, a brush and glue I thought I ought to make at least one as I'll never tackle it otherwise. So I plumbed for the A-4. It's a bit of a dog, virtually no skin detail at all but not many pieces either and I think the only Airfix kit apart from the Harrier GR3. It has a simple enough paint scheme that I could identify all the paints for - the numbers have rubbed off a few of the paint pot lids. It has a relatively big transfer sheet but they look like the half plastic ones I got in the 1/24th Spitfire and others have commented that they aren't as good as the starter kit transfers that have pleasantly suprised most of us. Needing all the help I could get I decided to do it wheels up to save time. So I gave it a quick wash, and basically stuck the basic bits together leaving the seat and pilot out as I hope I can slip that in later. There are gaps and dimples galore. The main leg doors had the worst fit. Taking a leaf from the other biulds I bunged the gaps with glue and sprue scrapings amd I'm leaving it 24 hours to harden or melt into a pool of goo. Edited April 29, 2010 by Plastic Bonsai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fraxinus Posted April 28, 2010 Share Posted April 28, 2010 OK so I have a Falklands Set - it was a Xmas pressie from my brother. Ever since Tim Dix pointed out that it had paints, a brush and glue I thought I ought to make at least one as I'll never tackle it otherwise.So I plumbed for the A-4. It's a bit of a dog, virtually no skin detail at all but not many pieces either and I think the only Airfix kit apart from the Harrier GR3. It has a simple enough paint scheme that I could identify all the paints for - the numbers have rubbed off a few of the paint pot lids. It has a relatively big transfer sheet but they look like the half plastic ones I got in the 1/24th Spitfire and others have commented that they aren't as good as the starter kit transfers that have pleasantly suprised most of us. Needing all the help I could get I decided to do it wheels up to save time. So I gave it a quick wash, and basically stuck the basic bits together leaving the seat and pilot out as I hope I can slip that in later. There are gaps and dimples galore. The main leg doors had the worst fit. Taking a leaf from the other biulds I bunged the gaps with glue and sprue scrapings amd I'm leaving it 24 hours to harden or melt into a pool of goo. Pictures will be added if it survives until tomorrow night. Hmmm Did contemplate something from one of the 'cheaply aquired Airfix sets from I think a Hobbycraft sale' the falklands one is somewhere in the loft.....but car MOT & work stoppedthe potential for build number 3......the Airfix Skyhawk is as ancient as they get.....good luck with it & looking forward to the pictures!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plastic Bonsai Posted April 29, 2010 Author Share Posted April 29, 2010 (edited) Well amazingly it hadn't disolved and after half an hours vigorous sanding (peversly my favourite bit) I had got rid of the dimples and joins. The main leg fairings are still a bit rough. I've just time to at least get the a coat of white on the underside white tonight so onwards. As usual my focus and lighting isn't great. There isn't much surface detail to start with and there's even less now. Edited April 29, 2010 by Plastic Bonsai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plastic Bonsai Posted April 30, 2010 Author Share Posted April 30, 2010 (edited) Bum! The white paint is not going on - it's on about the 10th coat. Then Kev1n pm'd me to say he's missing the Harrier canopy. I examined the one bag that just had what I thought was the A-4 canopy and sure enough its the Harrier's. Checked the other models - all the rest have the right canopies. Double Bum! I've posted the canopy to Kev1n and it might just make it. I've asked him to finish anyway and enter it. I've searched around and can't find the lid, but I'm not giving up just yet. Options are to mash some sprue together and shape into a solid canopy - the sprue and glue attempts have made me a bit cocky - or I rifle my spares to see if I have anything close enough which I doubt as it is tiny. Maybe something from a turret? I've given myself the dispensation to do this but it won't be in the poll - not that it would get anywhere. Edited May 1, 2010 by Plastic Bonsai Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plastic Bonsai Posted May 1, 2010 Author Share Posted May 1, 2010 In the end I made bogie of sprue, sprue scapings and glue and made a canopy shape of sorts, It didn't set and is still soft so I couldn't shape it but at least it showed that the method might work given enough curing time. The upper grey (65) went on really well until I realised it should have been 64 (which I couldn't identify as some paints were missing their numbers). At least the black went on wel for the glareshield and cockpit glazing and then there was the transfers, As I feared they were stiff, brittle and extremly shiney and had an extra layer of varnish on them that made them webbed. They didn't stick well where they went to the fin or tailplane edge . And to cap it all I can't get the latest images off the camera so all in all a very frustrating build. At least I'm warned about the rest of the models in that package now. I don't think I'll be scarred by this one as I have a couple of decent models on the go that I am more appreciative of then now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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